The mating of male and female connectors to form a connector assembly often involves a high insertion force. This is particularly true when the connectors comprise mating connector housings containing many contacts. For example, automobile wiring systems typically include wiring harnesses. Each harness contains many conductors which are electrically and mechanically connected to respective contacts contained in the harness connector housing. The harness connector housing and the plurality of contacts contained therein are mated with a header connector housing and the contacts contained therein. In such applications, the mating of the harness and header connector housings is often difficult due to the force required to overcome the friction between the mating contacts.
Many attempts have been made using levers to overcome high insertion force when mating male and female connector housings. Some attempts have required that the lever includes slits or grooves therein or therethrough which engage pins which extend outwardly from one of the connector housings. Such slits or grooves tend to weaken the lever as well as cause more flexing thereof during use than desired. Some attempts require that the pivoting and camming elements be located on the outside of the connector assembly. The use of pivoting and camming elements external of the connector assembly is undesirable. Such pivot and camming elements prevent a smooth seal and therefore are not useful in a sealed connector environment. Another problem incurred is that there is a tendency in some connector assemblies for the lever to prematurely rotate out of the desired assembly position. A further concern is that in those applications wherein multiple connectors are stacked upon each other, there is a tendency for the latch, which secures the lever in place when the connector housings are mated, to fail.
An example of one prior art connector assembly is U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,383 which issued on Jun. 21, 1994 to Saito et al. This patent relates to a lever-type connector including two housings wherein a lever is pivotally connected by pivot shafts to one of the housings to provide leverage during mating of the two. In such embodiment, it is necessary to provide cam grooves in opposing inner surfaces of the lever. The grooves mate with respective guide pins to facilitate engagement of the connectors. A similar device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,998 which issued on Dec. 22, 1992 to Hatagishi. In the Hatagishi embodiment, opposing cam slits extend completely through the lever.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,300,751 which issued on Jan. 24, 1967 to Fraley, a lever is provided to facilitate the mating of connector elements, such lever including a slot which extends through the lever. The lever is attached to a top plate by a screw extending outwardly of a top section of the top plate. Another screw mates with the slot to facilitate movement of the connector elements. Each screw is external of the device.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,935 which issued on Oct. 15, 1996 to Yagi et al., a connector engagement device is illustrated which includes two lever-type cam members pivoted upon respective externally extending pins. Each cam member includes cam grooves which mate with externally extending pins. The cam members are also provided with teeth which mesh so that the two cam members can be operated to interlock with each other in directions different from each other.